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Book Review
MALAYALAM
Memoirs
B. R. P. Bhaskar
ETTAMATHE MOTHIRAM: K. M. Mathew, DC Books, DC Kizhakemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001. Rs. 250.
WHEN K. M. Mathew, Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama, writes an autobiography at 90, it naturally evokes unusual interest. In his own words, he has gone through many lives in a single lifespan. His story covers a long period — from an idyllic childhood in a village on the river bank to a long reign as the head of Kerala’s largest media house — and he tells it in an engaging, conversational style.
The book is more than an autobiography: it tells not only the story of the author’s life but also that of his family and his newspaper in a broad socio-political context. Drafted into the Manorama to assist his brother and Chief Editor K. M. Cherian in 1954 when the paper’s circulation was less than 30,000, Mathew was first a leading member and later captain of the team that built up its circulation steadily, crossing 1.6 million last year.
Today, the flagship newspaper is part of a media empire which includes a news channel and several periodicals in English and Malayalam.
Playing down his role, he attributes the newspaper’s phenomenal success to God’s grace. However, he gives credit to the contributions of a host of editorial and management consultants. He also acknowledges the role of several senior journalists of the newspaper who are no more.
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